Sunday, July 12, 2015

Beihang World Debate Academy Exercise & Practice Motions July 2015

1.     THBT we should tell our friends if they have been cheated on in a relationship
2.     THBT Internet search engines should inform authorities about suicidal searches.
3.     THBT we should not watch ISIS execution videos.
4.     THBT governments should tax products on the basis of their ecological footprint
5.     THBT parents should push their kids to achieve, even if that comes at the expense of their child’s happiness.
6.     THW approve of the installation of non-medical information technology (such as enhanced memory, enhanced perception and distance communication) within the human body
7.     THW impose a high tax on unhealthy foods.
8.     THW give people the right to erase personal information about themselves on the Internet.
9.     THW ban the practice of contracting freelance journalists and photographers in conflict-affected areas
10.  This house would prohibit the media from reporting on the private lives of any person without their explicit permission
11.  THBT couples should be able to enter relationship contracts which make any future infidelity a state-enforced crime
12.  THBT we should grant overweight people the same protections from discrimination and hate speech as other vulnerable groups
13.  THW prefer to prosecute the clients rather than the prostitutes.
14.  THW choose not to consume art created by people who have committed deeply immoral acts
15.  THW not allow individuals to opt into a one-way mission to Mars with the Mars One Project
16.  THBT parents should monitor the electronic communications of their children, for example by installing spyware, requiring their children to give them their passwords, or reading browser histories.
17.  Planet Earth should not seek to contact with extraterrestrial intelligence in the near future.
18.  THW make failure to render reasonable assistance to a person in distress a criminal offence
19.  THW allow companies to pay higher wages to employees who agree not to have children during their term of employment.
20.  THW make the salary of politicians equal to the per capita income of the country
21.  THBT Hong Kong should not extend citizenship to children born in Hong Kong whose parents are not Hong Kong citizens
22.  THBT the state should place baby hatches in accessible areas, where people can leave babies anonymously
23.  THBT there is no such thing as animal cruelty
24.  THW make those who keep the private information of others in databases liable for damages caused by security breaches.
25.  TH welcomes the entrance of large numbers of robots into the workforce.
26.  THBT economic sanctions on Russia relating to the situation in Ukraine are counter-productive.
27.  THW implement mandatory voting in all elections.
28.  This house believes both parents should be required to attend parenting classes before and after having a child.
29.  THW approve of the installation of non-medical information technology (such as enhanced memory, enhanced perception and distance communication) within the human body.
30.  This house supports civil disobedience as a legitimate response to injustice.
31. THBT the struggle against ISIS should be conducted solely by Middle East nations. 

KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Schools Debating Championships June 2015

KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Schools Debating Championships
Venue: The Wykeham Collegiate, Pietermaritzburg
Dates: 26 – 28 June 2015

Chief Adjudicator: Kimera Chetty
Deputy Chief Adjudicators: Elisha Kunene, Unathi Dlamini

Senior Champion: Durban and Coastal Debating League 1
Senior runner-up: Durban and Coastal Debating League 4
Junior Champion: Pietermaritzburg 1
Junior runner-up: Phoenix Debating League 1

Motions:

THW – This House Would
THBT – This House Believes That
THR – This House Regrets
THS – This House Supports

Juniors:
R1: THW allow prisoners with life sentences the right to choose the death penalty.
R2: TH regrets gender normative toys
R3: THBT children should be educated in their mother-tongue
R4: THBT high-profile court cases should not be televised
R5: THS a strong military response to xenophobic violence
FINAL: THBT democracies should remove symbols which represent their oppressive

Seniors:
R1: THW ban treatment or cosmetic surgery aimed at skin bleaching/lightening
R2: THW prohibit employers from basing hiring or dismissal decisions on social
media posts
R3: THW make maths and science subjects compulsory for female learners
R4: Info Slide: “Slum Tourism” is a type of tourism that involves visiting impoverished
areas, mainly by foreigners from the developed world.” THS slum tourism
R5: Info Slide: “Amnesty is a pardon given by the government to a group or class of
persons, usually granted before trial/conviction/deportation.” THW grant amnesty to
all undocumented immigrants who have been victims of xenophobic attacks
SEMI-FINAL: THW ban mega-churches in impoverished communities
FINAL: THBT the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has failed

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

ARGO Romania 2015 WSDC Prepared Motions

I am very happy to announce, on behalf of the ARGO Open 2015 CAP, the prepared motions for the preliminary rounds of the tournament:

TH regrets the rise of peer-to-peer economy (e.g. companies like Uber, Airbnb, TaskRabbit and others).
THW assess students on individual academic development instead of standardised examination results.
THW allow the state to monitor all personal electronic communication of its citizens.

Registration will be open until the 1st of August. We are really happy to host debaters from across the world in Romania, between the 4th and 8th of Septemeber.

You can find more details about the tournament here: http://open.argodebate.ro

Saturday, July 4, 2015

World Schools Debate Academy Tournament, Slovenia 2015

WSDA 2015 TOURNAMENT MOTIONS

ROUND ONE:
THBT there should be obligatory equal paid parental leave for women and men.

ROUND TWO
THBT Google should inform authorities about suicidal searches.

ROUND THREE
This house would make membership in a labour union compulsory for every worker.

ROUND FOUR
THBT all meat eaters should earn the right to be carnivores by personally slaughtering a major meat animal.

ROUND FIVE
THBT schools should avoid instilling a sense of patriotism.

QUARTERFINALS
THBT democracies should extend voting rights to resident migrant workers.

SEMIFINALS
THW approve of the installation of non-medical information technology (such as enhanced memory, enhanced perception and distance communication) within the human body.

FINAL
THBT we should not watch ISIS execution videos.